3500 miles on truck and looking to trade

[Big Bill]

See if titan truck owner have a forum like this one for info

[quicky06]

I’ll chime in. I’ve got a 2016 f150 6.5’ bed with max tow, trailer mirrors, 36 gallon fuel tank ecoboost with 4x4 and 3.55 gears. I tow a Catalina 283rks. 32 foot long overall. 9000 lbs loaded.

I get 8-9.5 mpg towing. Never been in the mountains with it but it pulls like hell.

With cruise turned on ( radar cruise, that uses the trailer brakes) it stays in 6th and does not hunt for a gear on big hills it will drop to 4 th or 5th when needed. All it’s toque is down low and it has no need to rev high other than engine braking. Tow / haul mode makes a big difference.

Sway is not an issue as long as the wind doesn’t get out of hand.

[larry2c]

I sympathize with you buying a truck that won't do what you bought it for. I have a '11 F150 5.0 - not the Eco Boost - and as far as towing, I love it. My year of truck wasn't aluminum bodied so I loose a few hundred pounds of cargo capacity to the newer trucks but I have enough for our Cruise Lite 210RBXL. It has a "Tow Haul" selection for the transmission and when I select that, it gives the transmission a different program that holds the gears longer on acceleration and when going down hill, downshifts and holds it in gear for engine braking. When I get on the highway, I put it in Tow/Haul mode, set the cruise control and let the computer do the work. I live in Southern California so everywhere I go is up a hill or down a hill and no issues so far (over 1000 miles of towing with this truck).

Mileage when towing is between 10 & 12 MPG. When not towing, it is a bit less friendly - around 15 - but I have slightly oversize BFG KO2's and a 1" leveling lift so that contributes to the low mileage. Eco Boost owners seem to fair a bit better but usually it evens out because stomping on the pedal is fun! 36 gallon tank so even when towing I get a pretty good range.

Hope you find a truck that works for you!

[Zak1]

Originally Posted by rspeechteach

We hope you have better luck with your Ford than we did. We have a Ford F150 eco boost, with a heavy duty tow package. It sways our trailer all over the road at 50 miles an hour. The dealer worked on it for over a year and never fixed it. Luckily, it is only a lease and our lease expires in a couple of months. I will not buy another Ford truck. Good Luck!

Anyone that knows anything about towing knows that what you just described means the trailer and truck are not set up properly. NOT THE F150

[aceinspp]

Originally Posted by Zak1

Anyone that knows anything about towing knows that what you just described means the trailer and truck are not set up properly. NOT THE F150

Hate to tell ya they are not newbies to the towing. They have tried all kinds of suggestions and the truck is still trash. They never had an issue with the Dodge 1500 and trailer towed like a dream. Face it some Fords do not handle well. Later RJD

[DieselDrax]

That really sucks that the truck won’t do what you want. I think most of us have been there at least once.

You say your truck is going to be only for towing, you’re also towing a 29-foot trailer.

Stop messing around with 1/2-ton trucks and get a 3/4-ton gasser since you refuse to get a diesel anything. Yes, I realize your trailer’s weight isn’t that much but it is quite long. If you want to have a much better towing experience overall then get a 3/4-ton. It will be much more stable and comfortable to tow with and the fuel economy won’t be any worse than you have right now.

Unless you have a reason for wanting to stick to a half-ton truck, anyway. I just think if it’s going to be just for towing get a truck that will get the job done without screwing around. [emoji41]

[tdhanses]

I’ve heard that the Eco boost gets horrible mileage towing, being this is for towing only and you have to have gas don’t be shocked to not see much of an improvement with any gas pickup when towing.

[quicky06]

Originally Posted by tdhanses

I’ve heard that the Eco boost gets horrible mileage towing, being this is for towing only and you have to have gas don’t be shocked to not see much of an improvement with any gas pickup when towing.

I get 8-10 mpg towing. Which is better than my dad gets in his 6.2 f250 and he drivers slower. So I wouldn’t say it gets horrible mileage.

[KyDan]

No luck so far finding a tuner that will help with tranny shift points.
Still looking.....

Wondering if anyone makes an aftermarket
cruise control for it.
As I said it shifts OK when I'm doing the throttle. An aftermarket cruise that didn't provide feedback to the tranny might work if I could find one.

[aceinspp]

You might try a transmission specialty shop maybe one that deals with race cars or custom cars for working on trans. Of course it may get pricey and would be better to look to replace your truck. I know time is probably not on your side but could consider putting the truck up for sale.

I for one would consider also going to a 3/4 ton down side is the gear ratio for gas. I have 4:10 and only one offered for GM trucks I do get 8.5 to 9 mph towing 9000# tt. I also have the 34 gal fuel tank. Unloaded is about 18mph.
Good luck on what ever decisions you make. Later RJD

[A32Deuce]

Originally Posted by KyDan

No luck so far finding a tuner that will help with tranny shift points.
Still looking.....

Wondering if anyone makes an aftermarket
cruise control for it.
As I said it shifts OK when I'm doing the throttle. An aftermarket cruise that didn't provide feedback to the tranny might work if I could find one.

You need a Tuner Shop with a chassis dyno and they can program a shift tuner for you. Nothing wild just what you want the truck to do. Maybe talk to 5StarTune.

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by KyDan

No luck so far finding a tuner that will help with tranny shift points.
Still looking.....

Wondering if anyone makes an aftermarket
cruise control for it.
As I said it shifts OK when I'm doing the throttle. An aftermarket cruise that didn't provide feedback to the tranny might work if I could find one.

Head over to the titantalk.com forums, if anyone knows it will be someone over there.

[Steeljag]

My experience pulling our 26’ TT with UVW of 5500 Lbs was very good ! MY EB has the 6.5 foot bed and 3:73 gearing. Never an issue with sway and diffently no issues with power ! Smooth, quite and handled very well !

If I remember correctly, 63 mph was at 2200 rpms. My MPG seemed always to be 9.5 to 10.5. No issues with the cruise control.

My info is based on pulling in the flat lands of Fl & Ga.

Good luck with your search !

[RSchleder]

IMHO if you buy a truck for towing, gas mileage "is what it is". I've always said--"if you need to worry about a vehicles gas mileage, maybe you shouldn't own it"! We ordered our Ram Laramie with the Hemi, 392 rear end, 8 speed tranny, 4 corner air suspension and 32 gal gas tank. Couldn't be happier with it as it pulls our Wildcat MAXX (7,200 lbs empty) thru/over and across the Rocky Mountains without any issues or problems at all. Cruise doesn't shift up/down when going across country as the Hemi with the 8 speed and 392 is set up for towing and has adequate torque. Do I get great mileage-NOPE, about 7-9 when towing. Would I trade it for any other 1/2 ton out there--NOT ON YOUR LIFE!!!!!

[Chuckinca]

Have pulled our loaded TT (maybe 7500#) and full loaded TV (maybe 2500# payload and 7800# empty wt truck) from Norcal to Central Fla twice a year for the past 6 years. We put the truck in tow/haul, set the cruise and steer. Hardly ever touch the brake or gas pedal - even in the mountains.

To enjoy traveling, get a bigger truck with a bigger engine and more gears.

.

[K_and_I]

Originally Posted by DieselDrax

That really sucks that the truck won’t do what you want. I think most of us have been there at least once.

You say your truck is going to be only for towing, you’re also towing a 29-foot trailer.

Stop messing around with 1/2-ton trucks and get a 3/4-ton gasser since you refuse to get a diesel anything. Yes, I realize your trailer’s weight isn’t that much but it is quite long. If you want to have a much better towing experience overall then get a 3/4-ton. It will be much more stable and comfortable to tow with and the fuel economy won’t be any worse than you have right now.

Unless you have a reason for wanting to stick to a half-ton truck, anyway. I just think if it’s going to be just for towing get a truck that will get the job done without screwing around. [emoji41]

I think this said it well. Don't rush into this. You're looking at spending a lot of money, make sure you have what you need this time. If it truly is just for towing, look hard at an F250. I had an F150 Eco Boost for 5 years, towing my 6800 lb, 900 lb tongue weight (scaled loaded for camping) trailer, and the truck had plenty of power. That won't be an issue for you. I did a lot of driving for work with this truck, and needed the better non-towing mileage for that. I'm nearing retirement, and had to replace the truck, so I went with an F250 this time. Cost was nearly the same as an F150 set up for towing. The 250 seems to have no more power, maybe a little less torque in the low rpm range (going by seat of the pants feel) and gets the same mileage towing as the 150. Where it excels is it has a more stable feel driving in wind, passing trucks, etc. and cargo capacity is 3500 lbs. I scaled the truck/trailer with the 150 and was overweight on the rear axle by 500 lbs loaded for a short camping trip. Now, I can load it up for long trips and not worry about cargo weight.

[KyDan]

Just returned from dealer.
We didn't deal.

I started a new thread here-
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post1733560

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and comments.
I'll buy the 1st round the next time we meet!

[pd2436]

You stated you have a car as a daily driver and the truck is for towing. So I would recommend you buy a tow vehicle.

I have a company car so I too just needed a tow vehicle so I bought a 3/4 ton chevy 2500 hd with the 6.0 gas engine.

I use it to tow my Rockwood 2618 vs which weighs in about 7000 total travelling weight.

It is overkill for what I need, gas mileage is about 8mpg, but I have no issues with sway or power. It does the job I need it to do.

Buy the truck that will do the job, nothing less, you will not regret it.
Just my 2 cents.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[KyDan]

Originally Posted by pd2436

You stated you have a car as a daily driver and the truck is for towing. So I would recommend you buy a tow vehicle.

I use it to tow my Rockwood 2618 vs which weighs in about 7000 total travelling weight.

It is overkill for what I need, gas mileage is about 8mpg, but I have no issues with sway or power. It does the job I need it to do.

Buy the truck that will do the job, nothing less, you will not regret it.
Just my 2 cents.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Oh I've got plenty of power and no issues with sway or handling either.

[tdhanses]

Originally Posted by pd2436

You stated you have a car as a daily driver and the truck is for towing. So I would recommend you buy a tow vehicle.

I have a company car so I too just needed a tow vehicle so I bought a 3/4 ton chevy 2500 hd with the 6.0 gas engine.

I use it to tow my Rockwood 2618 vs which weighs in about 7000 total travelling weight.

It is overkill for what I need, gas mileage is about 8mpg, but I have no issues with sway or power. It does the job I need it to do.

Buy the truck that will do the job, nothing less, you will not regret it.
Just my 2 cents.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

My Titan XD with the Diesel is way better to tow with then my 3/4 ton GMC SLT with the 6.0 was and gets much better mileage. So happy to not hear the motor scream and downshift all the time.